


May Flowers

by SkyFireForever



Category: Rent - Larson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drug Use, Drug Withdrawal, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 14:01:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18572950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyFireForever/pseuds/SkyFireForever
Summary: Roger had never had the best life. He struggled with everything. School, drugs, love, everything. His luck seemed to change when he met April. April gave him something to believe in, some sort of joy and hope. The thought of losing her never even occurred to him until he came so close.Or: April survives her suicide attempt.





	May Flowers

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter has a description of the aftermath of a suicide attempt. Please read with caution if that might be potentially harmful for you.

The door to the loft swung open and Roger stepped inside, sweat sticking to his brow. He was utterly exhausted after that evening’s band rehearsal and he was ready to just shoot up before passing out somewhere. He kicked the door shut behind him, shoulders slouching as he suppressed a loud yawn. He was glad to be home. He set down his guitar case and collapsed on the old, raggedy couch that Collins had found on the side of the road shortly after moving into the loft. It creaked whenever Roger made any movement, but he didn’t mind it. The couch was just a part of the little home he had made for himself.

“April? Mark?” He called as he shrugged off his jacket and threw it over the arm of the couch. “You guys home?” Mark was usually home by the time Roger returned from rehearsal unless he was out with Maureen, who was always out partying and/or screwing someone behind Mark’s back. Benny was usually at work and Collins seemed to always be getting into some sort of mayhem. April was also usually working, but she had claimed not to feel well that afternoon and hadn’t gone in to work. Roger kicked off his shoes and frowned when he didn’t receive a reply. 

He got up and made his way to the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator door and grabbing the carton of most-likely spoiled milk, drinking directly from it. He ignored the slightly sour taste and wiped his lips before catching sight of the note taped to the fridge door. 

**Went to get groceries. -Mark**

That explained why Mark hadn’t answered Roger’s call. Roger put the empty milk carton back in the fridge before stretching his arms behind his back. “April?” He tried again, assuming that she was taking a nap when she didn’t respond again. He started towards the bedroom that they shared, cracking open the door. “April?” He whispered, not wanting to disturb her if she was sleeping. He frowned when he found the bed empty, wondering where his girlfriend had disappeared to. He closed the door and stopped when his foot stepped on something. He looked down and picked up a crinkled sheet of paper, eyes scanning the words written across it in shaky, barely legible handwriting.

**We have AIDS.**

Roger felt all of the color drain from his face as he read over the note. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest and he could feel the familiar burn of bile rising in his throat. His mind went completely blank and he struggled to take his next breath. “April?” His voice rose in volume and he crumbled the sheet of paper in his fist. “This isn’t fucking funny, April!” He snapped, tossing the ball of paper to the floor. His eyes burned with unshed tears and he struggled to take in enough air. “It really isn’t fucking funny!” He knew that April would never joke about something like this. He knew that they were both at risk, they both knew that. She knew how scared Roger was of their tests coming back positive. 

He scavenged the house for her, storming from room to room in search of her. She couldn’t just leave this note and then leave. They needed to talk about this. They needed to figure out what to do next. They’d talked about hypothetical plans before, but this was no longer hypothetical. This was real. This was happening. This was happening to  _ them.  _ He passed the bathroom and was almost knocked back by the metallic smell coming from it. His hand flew up to cover his nose as his face distorted into one of disgust. The scent was overpowering, filling his nose in the worst possible way. He made his way towards the cracked door and pushed it further open. 

“April?” Roger stood in the doorway and immediately froze, taking a long moment to fully process what he was seeing. The first thing that managed to register in his frozen brain was the  _ red.  _ There was red everywhere. Red covered the floor, the tub, the towels, the sink. He’d never seen so much red in his entire life, red in stark contrast to the white tile of the bathroom. He recognized the familiar red of April’s hair, remembering when he had helped her dye it. April. April was laying in the water of the bathtub, the red, still water of the bathtub. She was lying motionless in the red water, her dark skin covered in red. He distantly registered someone screaming before realizing that it was him. He doubled over and felt his throat burn as he was sick across the red of the floor, coughing and gagging as he struggled to breathe through the blood-thick air.

Blood. It was blood. Blood covering his bathroom, blood covering  _ April.  _ Oh, God. Roger’s legs felt like lead, but he forced himself to move, practically crawling towards the tub. “April.” He called to her. “A-April,  _ fuck.  _ April.” He wrapped his arms around her and heaved her out of the tub, cradling her in his arms. “April. Oh God, April.” He didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what he  _ could  _ do. “A-April, please.” He begged, quickly grabbing a nearby towel and holding it to her bleeding wrists. “Stay with me.” He pleaded, not even knowing when he’d started crying. He pressed his forehead to hers. “Don’t leave me.” He whispered, trembling. 

He was dimly aware of the front door opening and footsteps approaching, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was April, was saving April. She had to be okay. She had to be. He distantly heard Mark calling his name, but he didn’t respond, just rocking April back and forth in his arms. He heard the crash of a grocery bag falling to the floor and Mark’s disbelieving gasp. Roger glanced up, seeing Mark standing in the bathroom doorway, a look of horror on his face. 

“Roger? W-What-” 

“Call 9-1-1!” Roger choked out desperately. “ _ Please!  _ Hurry!” He begged, desperation evident in his voice. They couldn’t waste any more time. “Now!” 

Mark hesitated for just a moment before turning to run out of the room. Roger could hear the dialing of their landline and Mark’s rushed ramblings as he tried to explain what happened to the operator on the other end. Roger quickly turned his attention back to April, kissing her forehead and praying to a God that he didn’t believe in. More than anything, he wanted to comfort her. “It’s o-okay.” He choked out, voice trembling. “You’re okay. It’s a-all gonna be okay.” He promised her, pushing her hair out of her eyes. 

He hoped that he was right. He needed to be right. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please, please leave comments! Comments keep me coming back to stories that I might not return to otherwise.


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